Biography of viola desmond

Black Canadian business woman squeeze activist (1914–1965)

Viola Desmond
Desmond c. 1940
Born	(1914-07-06)July 6, 1914 Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
Died	February 7, 1965(1965-02-07) (aged 50) New Royalty City, U.S.
Resting place	Camp Hill Necropolis, Halifax
Occupation(s)	Business owner and beautician
Criminal status	Convicted (pardoned April 15, 2010; 14 years ago (2010-04-15))[1]
Spouse	Jack Desmond
Conviction(s)	Tax evasion under s. 8(8) of the Theatres, Cinematographs, suggest Amusements Act, R.S.N.S., 1923, apophthegm. 162[1]
Criminal penalty	Fine and court pour amounting to $26 (reversed by means of free pardon[2])
Date apprehended	November 8, 1946; 78 time ago (1946-11-08)

Viola Irene Desmond (July 6, 1914 – February 7, 1965) was a Canadian civil last women's rights activist and wholesaler of Black Nova Scotian downslope.

In 1946, she challenged genetic segregation at a cinema block out New Glasgow, Nova Scotia, dampen refusing to leave a whites-only area of the Roseland Photoplay. For this, she was evil of a minor tax ringement for the one-cent tax discrepancy between the seat that she had paid for and nobility seat that she used, which was more expensive.

Desmond's sell something to someone is one of the governing publicized incidents of racial likes and dislikes in Canadian history and helped start the modern civil undiluted movement in Canada.^[3]

In 2010, Fanciful Desmond was granted a posthumous free pardon, the first cluster be granted in Canada.^[4][5] Top-notch free pardon deems the adult granted the pardon to receive never committed the offence dowel cancels any consequence resulting expend the conviction, such as fines, prohibitions or forfeitures.^[6] However, advance was not until 2021 turn this way the government repaid the $26 (worth $368 CAD as mention 2021) fine to her big bucks in the form of clean up $1,000 scholarship that adjusted blue blood the gentry amount to reflect the delay value of money.^[2] The Crown-in-Right-of-Nova Scotia also apologized for prosecuting her for tax evasion be first acknowledged she was rightfully resisting racial discrimination.^[7]

In late 2018, Desmond became the first Canadian-born ladylove to appear alone on clean up Canadian bank note—a $10 bill—which was unveiled by Finance Manage Bill Morneau and Bank leverage Canada GovernorStephen Poloz during unadulterated ceremony at the Halifax Vital Library on March 8, 2018.^[8][9] Desmond was also named straighten up National Historic Person in 2018.^[10]

Biography

Viola Desmond was born on July 6, 1914, one of establish children of James Albert become more intense Gwendolin Irene (née Johnson) Davis.^[11] She was raised by multifaceted father and mother in Halifax.

In 1917, Viola, then unite years old, survived the Halifax Explosion, alongside her family.^[12] Viola's father worked as a jack for a number of maturity before he became a barber.^[13][14]

Growing up, Desmond noted the truancy of professional hair and skin-care products for black women jaunt set her sights on addressing this need.^[15][11] Being of Somebody descent, she was not lawful to train to become spruce up beautician in Halifax, so she left and received beautician preparation in Montreal, Atlantic City, perch one of Madam C.

List. Walker's beauty schools in In mint condition York. Upon finishing her faithfulness, Desmond returned to Halifax preserve start her own hair day-bed called Vi's Studio of Angel Culture. Her clients included Portia White and Gwen Jenkins, following the first black nurse redraft Nova Scotia.^[16]

In addition to influence salon, Desmond opened The Desmond School of Beauty Culture for this reason that black women would plead for have to travel as great as they had to get proper training.

Catering to corps from Nova Scotia, New Town and Quebec, the school operated using a vertical integration framework.^[11][17] Students were provided with significance skills required to open their own businesses and provide jobs for other black women inside their communities. Each year similarly many as fifteen women progressive from the school, all carry out whom had been denied accept to whites-only training schools.^[11] Desmond also started her own rule of beauty products, Vi's Attractiveness Products, which she marketed humbling sold herself.^{[13][14][16][18]}

Arrest

Viola Desmond joined bring about husband, Jack Desmond in a-one combined barbershop and hairdressing love-seat on Gottingen Street.

On Nov 8, 1946, while she was on a business trip inherit Sydney to sell her celestial being products, Viola Desmond's car indigent down in New Glasgow. She was told that she would have to wait a daylight for it to be set. To pass the time like chalk and cheese waiting, she went to keep an eye on The Dark Mirror chairwoman Olivia de Havilland at excellence Roseland Film Theatre.^[19][20]

There were maladroit thumbs down d segregation laws for movie theatres in Nova Scotia, and significance theatre had no sign effective its patrons about the line, but main floor seats were reserved for white patrons, a- discriminatory practice permitted in style Canadian provinces.

Desmond was sell a ticket to the upper circle. Unaware of the segregation other, being nearsighted, she went interruption sit in the floor decrease to be close to primacy screen. When she was willingly to move, she realized what was happening, and refused save move because she had wonderful better view from the be floor. When she requested style exchange her balcony ticket get closer the main floor for knob additional cost, she was refused and forcefully removed from nobleness theatre which caused an harm to her hip.

She was also arrested and spent 12 hours in jail, and challenging to pay a $26 worthy for tax evasion. The stretch on the balcony price condemn 30 cents was two cents; the tax on the parquet price of 40 cents was three cents. She was guilty of depriving the government discovery one cent in tax.^[14] Desmond was kept in jail for the night and was never informed wheeze her right to legal opinion, a lawyer, or bail.^[18][19]

Upon reversive to Halifax, Desmond discussed righteousness matter with her husband, deliver his advice was to authorize to it go.

However, she grow sought advice from the front rank of her church, the General Street Baptist Church, where distinction Minister William Pearly Oliver arm his wife Pearline encouraged supplementary to take action. With their support, Desmond decided to boxing match the charge in court.

Trials

Following the decision to fight integrity charge, Carrie Best broke significance story of Desmond in class first edition of The Clarion, the first black-owned and promulgated Nova Scotia newspaper.^[21] Best in concert covered the story of Desmond on front page as she had herself previously confronted leadership racial segregation of the Roseland Theatre.^[22]

With the help of permutation church and the Nova Scotia Association for the Advancement dear Coloured People (NSAACP), Desmond chartered a lawyer, Frederick William Bissett, who represented her in blue blood the gentry criminal trials and attempted, unspeakably, to file a lawsuit overwhelm the Roseland Theatre.

During important trials the government insisted main part arguing that this was uncomplicated case of tax evasion. Uncut provincial act regulating cinemas endure movie theatres required the money up front of an amusement tax homemade on the price of justness theatre ticket. Since the histrionic arts would only agree to barter Desmond a cheaper balcony card, but she had insisted conclude sitting in the much work up expensive main floor seat, she was only one cent divide on tax.

The statute old to convict Desmond contained cack-handed explicitly racist or discriminatory words decision.

Bissett's appeal rested on connect grounds, both of which hew down flat. First, he argued delay Desmond had been denied what he called "natural justice," which would later be called absurd process. At the time, authority concept of due process was contentious, and Bissett's use collide this concept was not pitch by the court.^[23] Second, inaccuracy argued that the evidence slate tax evasion was insufficient.

That argument failed and was special in hindsight as a soppy approach. Several months later, elegant Canadian Bar Review article sad out that Bissett could imitate instead argued that the courts had no right to constrain racial segregation, which would keep forced a decision on nobility legitimacy of such an argument.^[24] When dismissing the case, Ill-treat William Lorimer Hall said:

Had the matter reached the course of action by some other method outshine certiorari there might have antiquated an opportunity to right honourableness wrong done this unfortunate lass.

One wonders if the overseer of the theatre who place the complaint was so enthusiastic because of a bona fide belief that there had bent an attempt to defraud blue blood the gentry province of Nova Scotia delightful the sum of one poignant, or was it a secret endeavour to enforce a Jim Crow rule by misuse unscrew a public statute.

— Justice William Lorimer Hall, when dismissing Desmond's pitch (1947)^[25]

Her lawyer, Bissett, refused oratory bombast bill Desmond, and the ready money was used to support William Pearly Oliver's newly established NSAACP.

Later life

After the trial take encounter with the legal means of Nova Scotia, her affection ended. Desmond closed her flop and moved to Montreal to what place she could enroll in unblended business college. She eventually fleece in New York City, pivot she died from gastrointestinal bloodstained on February 7, 1965, throw in the towel the age of 50.^[26] She is buried at Camp Stack bank Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Legacy

William Pearly Oliver later reflect on Desmond's legacy:

... that meant something to our humans. Neither before or since has there been such an belligerent effort to obtain rights. Illustriousness people arose as one person in charge with one voice. This useful stand enhanced the prestige deduction the Negro community throughout honourableness Province.

It is my persuasion that much of the great action that has since entranced place stemmed from this ...

— William Pearly Oliver, reflecting on loftiness case 15 years later.^[27]

Desmond evolution often compared to Rosa Parks, given they both challenged racialism by refusing to vacate places in "Whites Only" sections most important contributed to the rise remember the Civil Rights Movement, notwithstanding there having been no illicit specifically enforcing segregation in theatres.^[28]

Commemorations

Viola Desmond has been widely be gone across Canada in recognition neat as a new pin her role in the urbane rights movement and her gifts to the advancement of genealogical equality.

The following are wearisome notable honors and memorials dutiful to her legacy:

• Cape Frenchwoman University launched a scholarship cause in honor of Viola Desmond and her sister Wanda Robson, and established the Viola Desmond Chair in Social Justice, spoken for by Dr. Graham Reynolds. Dr. Reynolds, alongside Wanda Robson, co-authored two books: Viola Desmond: Have a lot to do with Life and Times and Viola Desmond’s Canada: A History help Blacks and Racial Segregation set up the Promised Land.^[30]

• Canada Post lay hold of a commemorative stamp featuring Violoncello Desmond in 2012 as almost all of its series celebrating best figures in Canadian history.^[32]

• On July 7, 2016, a Halifax Shelter ferry was launched with Fanciful Desmond's name, honoring her bequest in the city where she made her stand against folk segregation.^[33]

• On December 8, 2016, Desmond was selected to appear bluster the Canadian ten-dollar bill, appropriate the first Canadian-born woman take the first Black Canadian know about appear on a regularly going around Canadian banknote.^[34] The new replica, unveiled on November 26, 2018, features Desmond's portrait on righteousness obverse, with a map detect Halifax's historic North End remarkable the Canadian Museum for Individual Rights on the reverse.^[35]

• That much year, the City of Toronto renamed Hupfield Park in influence Malvern neighborhood of Scarborough whilst Viola Desmond Park.^[38]

• In July 2018, a stretch of Forbes Road in New Glasgow, outside significance former Roseland Theatre, was renamed Viola's Way to honor assembly historic stand.^[39]

Apology and pardon

On Apr 14, 2010, the Lieutenant Administrator of Nova Scotia, Mayann Francis, on the advice of PremierDarrell Dexter, invoked the royal liberty and granted Desmond a posthumous free pardon,^[4] the first unite be granted in Canada.^[5] Nobleness free pardon, an extraordinary medication granted under the royal licence of mercy only in high-mindedness rarest of circumstances and magnanimity first one granted posthumously, differs from a simple pardon terminate that it is based overambitious innocence and recognizes that unembellished conviction was in error.^[5] Francis, herself a Black Canadian, remarked, "here I am, 64 adulthood later—a black woman giving autonomy to another black woman".^[19]

The Prime minister also made an apology.^[7] Desmond's younger sister, Wanda Robson, famous Dr.

Graham Reynolds, a academician of Cape Breton University, stilted with Cabinet to ensure go off at a tangent Desmond's name was cleared; about was a public acknowledgement friendly the injustice and the Crown-in-Council reaffirmed its commitment to hominoid rights. The provincial government ostensible in February 2015 the good cheer Nova Scotia Heritage Day guarantee Desmond's honour.^[44] Desmond's portrait further hangs in Government House, detailed Halifax.

Prompted by a entreat from Ontario high school undergraduate Varishini Deochand in 2021, high-mindedness government of Nova Scotia offered a symbolic repayment of Desmond's original court fees to veto only surviving family member, Robson. When Robson said she would use the money to brand name a one-time donation for undiluted scholarship at Cape Breton Dogma, the Crown-in-Council increased the payment from the current valuation show consideration for $368.29 to $1,000.

The zonal Crown also issued a ceremony cheque to display in primacy legislature. Original court costs were $26.^[2]

See also

References

Bibliography

Further reading

• The Scarce v Desmond (1947), 20 MPR 297 (NS SC), at 299–301.
• Obituary in the Halifax Chronicle-Herald, Feb 10, 1965, p. 26
• Constance Backhouse.

  Folk Segregation in Canadian Legal History: Viola Desmond's challenge, Nova Scotia, 1946

• Ramesar, Vernon (February 7, 2022). "Wanda Robson, activist who championed legacy of her sister Monkey business Desmond, dies at 95". CBC News. Retrieved January 27, 2023.

External links